Please recommend some desirable areas in the San Diego Area for $500k or less... (Oceanside: transplants, apartment complexes)

[bmw335xi]

Hello everyone!

I'm looking to buy a 2/2 condo or house for $500k or less.

Please recommend some desirable and safe districts or cities for condos and houses. I understand I can get a location closer to the ocean if it is a condo, while I will need to go a bit inland for a house. I would like to hear your recommendations for both.

It can be anywhere from Oceanside to National City. However, I prefer being near the ocean if it is a condo and I prefer newer construction if it is a house. I would also like to be closer to San Diego instead of Oceanside (if possible). I will be taking a trip to San Diego to check out areas, but the size is so huge that I need your help to pinpoint specific areas to explore. I can work from home, so my options are wide open.

Thank you so much for your help!

[malcorub16]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Hello everyone!
It can be anywhere from Oceanside to National City. However, I prefer being near the ocean if it is a condo and I prefer newer construction if it is a house. I would also like to be closer to San Diego instead of Oceanside (if possible). I will be taking a trip to San Diego to check out areas, but the size is so huge that I need your help to pinpoint specific areas to explore. I can work from home, so my options are wide open.

Yes, your options are wide open. There is tremendous variation between National City and OceanSide as far as demographics and socio-economics and for $500 K you can get a house or condo easily in this vicinity. Have you been to San Diego before and are you familiar with the neighborhoods and cities?

[Walkthetalk]

La Mesa; Lemon Grove; parts of Clairemont; Kearny Mesa?

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by malcorub16

Yes, your options are wide open. There is tremendous variation between National City and OceanSide as far as demographics and socio-economics and for $500 K you can get a house or condo easily in this vicinity. Have you been to San Diego before and are you familiar with the neighborhoods and cities?

Thanks!

I've visited San Diego a few times over the past five years. However, each time was only for 2-3 days and I pretty much stayed in La Jolla with trips to Downtown and San Diego Zoo. I love La Jolla, but I don't think my budget is enough for a 2/2 condo or home. I would love a similar area.

Besides San Diego, I've driven down the Coast HWY, which passed through Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad etc. I didn't get to explore any of these areas though.

Which districts of San Diego and surrounding cities do you think are nice, safe and considered desirable (for property value purposes)?

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by Walkthetalk

La Mesa; Lemon Grove; parts of Clairemont; Kearny Mesa?

Thanks a lot, I will do more research on these areas!

[Pedro2000]

There were some condos in the 300-400K range in places like La Jolla and Del Mar(a mile or two from the ocean). They probably needed some remodeling, but for that price, not a bad deal. THe problem is you're kind of late to the party. Most of these places have been bought up. Even new construction homes that cost close to a million bucks out past Carmel Valley have been sold out.

Downtown San Diego is a rip off to me. There are some condos in that area, but many of them are running in the 750K+ range. And nothing against downtown, but Downtown San Diego isn't like downtown San Fran or Seattle or NYC and so on. So while some of those places look nice, they are just way too much for where they actually are located. Even places down near Petco look nice, but half the year Petco is empty and the surrounding area isnt' all that crowded.

I had a friend buy a house in La Mesa for like 350K. It's a nice house on a nice street. The problem is go down the street and it's kind of not so nice. So that's another consideration. National City. There is some new condos down there, but in all honesty, I wouldn't want to live in National City.

[malcorub16]

Originally Posted by Pedro2000

There were some condos in the 300-400K range in places like La Jolla and Del Mar(a mile or two from the ocean).
I had a friend buy a house in La Mesa for like 350K. It's a nice house on a nice street. The problem is go down the street and it's kind of not so nice. So that's another consideration. National City. There is some new condos down there, but in all honesty, I wouldn't want to live in National City.

We got lucky and bought a 5 bedroom 3000 sq ft home 3 years ago in Lakeside/El Cajon for about 350-400K, its on a half acre of land on a hillside. What I notice about areas like La Mesa, Lakeside, Spring Valley and El Cajon is alot of the nicer houses are up on the hills and then down at the bottom near the main streets are apartment complexes, mobile home parks, and not as nice houses.

Lots of nice big houses out here for under 500K, but its a 30 minute drive down the 8 52 or 94 Freeway to the nearest beaches.

[Pedro2000]

Originally Posted by malcorub16

We got lucky and bought a 5 bedroom 3000 sq ft home 3 years ago in Lakeside/El Cajon for about 350-400K, its on a half acre of land on a hillside. What I notice about areas like La Mesa, Lakeside, Spring Valley and El Cajon is alot of the nicer houses are up on the hills and then down at the bottom near the main streets are apartment complexes, mobile home parks, and not as nice houses.

Lots of nice big houses out here for under 500K, but its a 30 minute drive down the 8 52 or 94 Freeway to the nearest beaches.

I've met a few people over the years who had nice houses out in El Cajon and so on. But they were 'up on the hills" so to speak. The reality is that in most places, if there are a ton of apartment complexes and plazas around you, it's probably not going to be the nicest place to live. It's just what it is. IF you can live 30+ minutes from downtown or the beaches, El Cajon and other areas are far more affordable and you'll get far more for your buck.

[malcorub16]

About 20 mintues to downtown, 30 minutes to get to a beach like OB or Coronado.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Originally Posted by malcorub16

We got lucky and bought a 5 bedroom 3000 sq ft home 3 years ago in Lakeside/El Cajon for about 350-400K, its on a half acre of land on a hillside. What I notice about areas like La Mesa, Lakeside, Spring Valley and El Cajon is alot of the nicer houses are up on the hills and then down at the bottom near the main streets are apartment complexes, mobile home parks, and not as nice houses.

Lots of nice big houses out here for under 500K, but its a 30 minute drive down the 8 52 or 94 Freeway to the nearest beaches.

We really like Granite Hills and have a good friend that grew up and went to school out there. Hard core locals live there, not so many transplants.

We also like Jamul which are sort of 'locals' areas, as in, they rarely have any presence on the city-data forums or marketing in San Diego.

Were we live in Lemon Grove, with the exception of a couple of neighbors, they are all the original owners and either bought after the war or had roots much further back.
Totally different attitude in my hood with humble roots, which we prefer. Boring but safe and not as glitzy or cool as other parts of town. Each different in their own way vs where we lived downtown SD.